Strategy-Capacity Training: An Intervention Method for Effective Far Transfer

Achieving far transfer, the application of learned skills to new and diverse contexts, has posed a persistent challenge in cognitive training, where gains often remain task-specific. The Strategy-Capacity Training Method addresses this limitation by integrating automatised core cognitive processes—such as working memory, attention control, and inhibition - with flexible, domain-general meta-strategies within the Successor Representation (SR) framework. This approach automates foundational cognitive skills to reduce cognitive load, creating a dynamic yet stable basis for adaptive strategy use across varying contexts. By embedding meta-strategies like decision trees, cost-benefit analysis, and causal reasoning into the SR's predictive coding framework, the method promotes cognitive flexibility, adaptive problem-solving, and efficient resource allocation. This training system exemplifies a hybrid of model-free and model-based learning, linking procedural efficiency with flexible strategic reasoning. Continuous feedback, supported by dopaminergic signalling (Reward Prediction Errors and Epistemic Prediction Errors), ensures adaptable refinement of automatised skills, facilitating seamless strategy transfer. This systematic alignment of core cognitive processes with meta-strategy execution enables far transfer, optimising general cognitive benefits and adaptability across tasks.